Thought the middle of the week was a good time to share that I WAS A TOTALLY MEDIOCRE TECH LEAD. In this little episode, I share the story of how I thought the pinnacle of my accomplishments as a tech lead were all about the software -- software that the company probably retired years ago as legacy code. But that was a long time ago and I've learned a lot since then. We're on a mission to make happier and more impactful tech leads. 🏅 Glad you're on the journey with us. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋...
Mar 27, 2019•9 min•Season 1Ep. 28
As a tech lead, you probably have all kind of things going on that block your ability to listen despite the fact that yesterday, Episode 26, we said the ground zero foundation of your tech lead role is how well you can listen to the team. Let's explore the three main blockers. We're on a mission to make happier and more impactful tech leads. 🏅 Glad you're on the journey with us. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:14 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:14 - Our Topic of the Day: Blockers to Listen...
Mar 26, 2019•7 min•Season 1Ep. 27
The ground zero foundation of your tech lead role is how well you can listen to the team. Almost everything else flows from your ability to listen to the team and read the situation (even if it's a minor comment on Slack). Let's explore! We're on a mission to make happier and more impactful tech leads. 🏅 Glad you're on the journey with us. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:15 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:20 - Our Topic of the Day: Why Listening Matters 9:02 - Conclusion 9:15 - How to Get ...
Mar 25, 2019•10 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Leadership isn't a role a title. It's something you DO when there's a leadership moment. The question is (1) will you step into it and (2) do you have the skills and capabilities if you do. We're on a mission to make happier and more impactful tech leads. 🏅 Glad you're on the journey with us. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:15 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:25 - Our Topic of the Day: Leadership Moments 5:45 - Conclusion 6:13 - How to Get Involved 6:42 - It's a Wrap! Let me know your feedb...
Mar 22, 2019•7 min
We hammer on the idea that you need to be able to articulate clear visions, make them compelling, and repeat them often. In this episode, we explore a few reasons WHY. We're on a mission to make happier and more impactful tech leads. 🏅 Glad you're on the journey with us. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:14 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:24 - Our Topic of the Day: Why Clear and Compelling Visions are Key 7:52 - Conclusion 8:10 - How to Get Involved 8:36 - It's a Wrap! Let me know your feedb...
Mar 21, 2019•9 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Humans are like cars, they're running all the time and need maintenance. Don't ignore it tech leads! Take initiative with your relationships at work. We're on a mission to make happier and more impactful tech leads. 🏅 Glad you're on the journey with us. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:15 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:27 - Our Topic of the Day: Take Initiative With Your Relationships 6:15 - Conclusion 6:35 - How to Get Involved 7:06 - It's a Wrap! Let me know your feedback by reaching out...
Mar 20, 2019•8 min•Season 1Ep. 23
I know, I know, meetings are supposed to be the root of all evil. But now that you're a tech lead, there are a lot of reasons why meetings are super useful for your tech lead role. Let's explore and learn to ♥️ meetings. We're on a mission to make happier and more impactful tech leads. 🏅 Glad you're on the journey with us. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:15 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:20 - Our Topic of the Day: Meetings Are Wonderful 6:20 - Conclusion 6:37 - How to Get Involved 7:06 - ...
Mar 19, 2019•8 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Let's call it Mode 1 and Mode 2 coaching. In Mode 1, organizations want to adopt a "coaching" management style, but it can come across as manipulative or coercive. In Mode 2, our tech lead coaches shift the focus to the tech lead being coached. We're on a mission to make happier and more impactful tech leads. 🏅 Glad you're on the journey with us. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:15 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:29 - Our Topic of the Day: Mode 1 and Mode 2 Coaching 5:39 - Conclusion 6:13 -...
Mar 18, 2019•7 min•Season 1Ep. 21
STEPPING UP TO BE A TECH LEAD IS MAYBE YOUR BIGGEST CAREER MOVE. Let's close the loop on last Friday's episode, and explore whether you really want to to it. After you listen to this episode, lighten up - it's Friday, after all. :-) We're on a mission to make happier and more impactful tech leads. 🏅 Glad you're on the journey with us. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:15 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:28 - Our Topic of the Day: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE A TECH LEAD? 8:25 - Conclusion 8:44 - ...
Mar 15, 2019•10 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Hey tech leads, I know that taking action by stepping into leadership moments can stress you out. What if you fail? What if you're doing the wrong thing? What if something goes wrong? Use Paul Martinelli's Success Cycle, which will feel very comfortable to agilists, to take the anxiety out of it. It's Pi day - and just one more day in the week to go. FINISH STRONG TECH LEADS! We're on a mission to make happier and more impactful tech leads. 🏅 Glad you're on the journey with us. SEGMENTS- 0:05 -...
Mar 14, 2019•8 min•Season 1Ep. 19
You should absolutely be focused on listening and collaborating, but when it's time to lead, it's time for you to create a vision and lead from the front tech leads! We're on a mission to make happier and more impactful tech leads. 🏅 Glad you're on the journey with us. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:17 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:30 - Our Topic of the Day: LEAD FROM THE FRONT! 7:07 - Conclusion 7:20 - How to Get Involved 7:55- It's a Wrap! Let me know your feedback by reaching out to ...
Mar 13, 2019•8 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Let's talk about one tech lead's experience from Patrick Kua's Talking With Tech Leads . In this episode we talk about some of her challenges and try to think through some of the questions a tech lead coach might ask. We're on a mission to make happier and more impactful tech leads. 🏅 Glad you're on the journey with us. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:15 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:29 - Our Topic of the Day: Ebony Pierce's experience from Talking with Tech Leads 6:45 - Conclusion 8:05 ...
Mar 12, 2019•10 min•Season 1Ep. 17
What do tech leads actually do in the role? In Episode 15 we asked if you actually want to be a tech lead, but we probably should have started with this one. In this episode, we do a read out on What Tech Leads Do from the Tech Lead's Guide on techleadcoaching.com We're on a mission to make happier and more impactful tech leads. 🏅 Glad you're on the journey with us. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:15 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:30 - Our Topic of the Day: What Do Tech Leads Do? 6:45 - C...
Mar 11, 2019•9 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Are you in a tech lead role? Do you actually want to be? Are you hoping to be in one? Do you think you need to wait for someone else to call you a tech lead before stepping up? Let's discuss on this episode before the weekend starts. We're on a mission to make happier and more impactful tech leads. 🏅 Glad you're on the journey with us. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:15 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:40 - Our Topic of the Day: Do You Really Want to be a Tech Lead? 9:22 - Conclusion 9:46 -...
Mar 08, 2019•11 min•Season 1Ep. 15
In this quirky episode, we share why there are times when you may not want to say "no" to your boss (or even, "yes, but") and how to navigate that conversation to the outcome you want :-) We're on a mission to make happier and more impactful tech leads. 🏅 Glad you're on the journey with us. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:15 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:23 - How to Get Involved 1:49 - Our Topic of the Day: A Hack for Saying "Yes" but Actually Saying "No" 7:09 - Conclusion 7:48 - It's a ...
Mar 07, 2019•8 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Thinking about hosting some free Tech Lead 101 training. Would love your insight or feedback on whether you think it would be helpful or whether you want to get involved. SEGMENTS- 0:04 - Intro 👋 0:14 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:23 - How to Get Involved 1:54 - Our Topic of the Day: Tech Lead 101 Training 6:50 - Conclusion 7:13 - It's a Wrap! If you want to learn more about the (proposed) Tech Lead 101 training, please visit this page: https://techleadcoaching.com/tech-lead-101/ Let...
Mar 06, 2019•8 min•Season 1Ep. 13
In this short episode, we want to turn you on to a book that too few tech leads know about: Patrick Kua's Talking with Tech Leads. It's been around for a minute, but you might find it super useful. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:14 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:23 - How to Get Involved 1:49 - Our Topic of the Day: Patrick Kua's Talking With Tech Leads 📖 5:53 - Conclusion 6:29 - It's a Wrap! You can pick up Pat's book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Tech-Leads-Novices-Prac...
Mar 05, 2019•7 min•Season 1Ep. 12
We overlooked a key job requirement of being a tech lead. Sometimes you have to tell people what to do, ask them to do something different, or just tell them "no." These are hard conversations, but you can do it! Let's explore in this episode. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:14 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:23 - How to Get Involved 1:48 - Our Topic of the Day: It's OK to Have Hard Conversations ♥️ 6:35 - Conclusion 7:06 - It's a Wrap! What do you think? Is it easy for you to have these co...
Mar 04, 2019•8 min•Season 1Ep. 11
This week we're building on last Friday's (No. 5) overview of the five Pareto-based tech lead skills and deep dive into each of them. Today is Friday and we're talking about the last one: your individual growth mindset as a key capability. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:14 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:31 - How to Get Involved 1:59 - Our Topic of the Day: Your Growth Mindset 6:50 - Conclusion 7:26 - It's a Wrap! Let us know your thoughts or reactions by emailing michael@techleadcoaching....
Mar 01, 2019•8 min•Season 1Ep. 10
This week we're building on last Friday's (No. 5) overview of the five Pareto-based tech lead skills and deep dive into each of them. Today is Thursday and we're talking about tracking and adjusting. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:14 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:24 - How to Get Involved 1:47 - Our Topic of the Day: Tracking and Adjusting 6:26 - Conclusion 7:04 - It's a Wrap! Let us know your thoughts or reactions by emailing michael@techleadcoaching.com or tweet us @TechLeadCoach If you...
Feb 28, 2019•7 min•Season 1Ep. 9
This week we're building on last Friday's (No. 5) overview of the five Pareto-based tech lead skills and deep dive into each of them. Today is Wednesday and we're talking about what defining a clear, compelling vision means in the context of your tech leadership. SEGMENTS- 0:04 - Intro 👋 0:14 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:38 - How to Get Involved 2:06 - Our Topic of the Day: Defining Clear and Compelling Visions 7:36 - Conclusion 8:02 - It's a Wrap! Let us know your thoughts or react...
Feb 27, 2019•9 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Live conference call recording from our weekly LA TECH LEAD TUESDAY Conference Call on February 26, 2019. We provide a community progress update, talk a bit about the tech lead role, and then dive into our topic of the week. The week we explored the difference between being goal driven and process driven as a tech lead. It's not a well travelled path, so we took the off road together. Want a calendar invite for the next TECH LEAD TUESDAY call? Want to be featured on it? No problem! Drop me a not...
Feb 27, 2019•23 min
This week we're building on last Friday's (No. 5) overview of the five Pareto-based tech lead skills and deep dive into each of them. Today is Tuesday and we're going to talk about what taking initiative means in the context of your tech leadership. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:16 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:20 - Our Topic of the Day: Taking Initiative as a Tech Lead 4:56 - Summary 5:21 - It's a Wrap! Let us know your thoughts or reactions by emailing michael@techleadcoaching.com or ...
Feb 26, 2019•6 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Over the weekend, Michael made a ton of progress in pulling together the coaching network guides for both tech leads and coaches. So this week we're going to build on Friday's (No. 5) overview of the five Pareto-based tech lead skills and deep dive into each of them. Today is Monday and we're going to talk about how important listening is as a lead as well as what we ask our coaches to challenge you on. It's Monday, Tech Leads. You. Can. Do. It!! SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:14 - About the Tech L...
Feb 25, 2019•9 min•Season 1Ep. 6
It's Friday, Tech Leads! 🎉 You made it through the whole week and so did we. In this episode we give you a lot to meditate on over the weekend: the five, core tech lead Pareto skills -- those 20% of skills that will have 80% of the impact. SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:16 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:29 - Introduction to the topic du jour (mmm, that sounds good) 2:05 - Overview of the five Pareto tech lead skills 4:02 - Capability 1: Listening 5:34 - Capability 2: Initiative 6:27 - Ca...
Feb 22, 2019•11 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In our fourth podcast, we review a wonderful post from Silvia Botros: On Being a Principal Engineer . Silvia has a lot of great insights for those interested in furthering their tech leadership, and we pull out the tidbits that we think the Tech Lead Coaching Network community will find interesting. Link: https://blog.dbsmasher.com/2019/01/28/on-being-a-principal-engineer.html SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Intro 👋 0:14 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:35 - How to get involved (DO IT DO IT DO IT) 2:0...
Feb 21, 2019•8 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Recording from our weekly Tuesday conference call on February 19, 2019. We provide a community progress update, talk a bit about the tech lead role, and then dive into our topic of the week. This week was an exploration of the first three levels of John C. Maxwell's five levels of leadership as applied specifically to the role of the tech lead . Want a calendar invite for our TECH LEAD TUESDAY call? Want to be featured on it? Drop me a note at michael@techleadcoaching.com !...
Feb 21, 2019•20 min
In our third podcast, we talk about how important your non-verbal communication signals are. This is something new and experienced tech leads overlook all the time, but we give you an easy hack to bring your best leadership into your next meeting! SEGMENTS- 0:05 - Welcome! 👋 0:13 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:38 - Topic: How to Tweak Your Nonverbal Communication 8:06 - Wrap up Let us know your thoughts or reactions by emailing michael@techleadcoaching.com or tweet us @TechLeadCoach I...
Feb 20, 2019•9 min•Season 1Ep. 3
On our second podcast, we give you some ideas about how to step into those leadership roles with a little more confidence and a little less anxiety: by focusing more on your progress as you grow into the tech lead role instead of the outcomes . SEGMENTS - 0:03 - Welcome! 0:10 - About the Tech Lead Coaching Network 1:38 - How to get involved 2:05 - Topic: Focus on Progress 5:13 - Conclusion Let us know your thoughts or reactions by emailing michael@techleadcoaching.com or tweet us @TechLeadCoach ...
Feb 19, 2019•6 min•Season 1Ep. 2
On our first podcast (No. 1 🎉), we say leadership isn’t a role or a title . Instead, it’s a bunch of moments strung together that you can choose to show up and step into, even when you’re uncomfortable. SEGMENTS- 0:10 - intro to the tech lead coaching network 1:41 - topic of the day: focus on leadership moments NOT roles 6:06 - wrap up Key thought from Herminia Ibarra in Act Like a Leader. Think Like a Leader : Making a leap from a lifetime of expert contributions and hands-on control to the mo...
Feb 18, 2019•7 min
